New Products, New Leave In= Product Reviews!

Hey All!

For some time, I have wanted to try Aloe Vera Gel, after hearing all the wonderful benefits of using this natural gel. The gel comes from the Aloe Vera Plant, and the gel is harvested from the leaves. It can be drank to help promote a healthy digestive system, regularity, and help muscle and joint function. Also to soothe skin for those who experience sun burn. I do not use it for these reasons....but for my hair!

Aloe Vera Gel is awesome for use as a moisturizer, depends on the brand, but it is 99% natural, and can be cheap depending again on brand, and where you purchase. There are also two types, there is the, Inner Fillet, which is where they only use the middle or where the gel comes from in the leaf, whereas with Whole leaf, they use the whole leaf, where it is believed that it is better because you are getting all the properties of the leaf. I cannot attest to how true this is or not to be honest, nor can tell you what is the difference, as this is my first time using this gel. (Perhaps in the future I will buy Whole Leaf, and draw a comparison then.)

I purchased mine online, through Vitamin Shoppe, as it was on sale at the time (still is). The kind I got was, Lily of the Desert (brand) Inner Fillet 16oz bottle for $2.99 USD , excluding shipping.

(Aloe Vera Gel has to be refrigerated, once you open it/break the seal.)

 I have been using this stuff in a mix, which I will not be sharing until sometime this week, and in a leave in I made, and it is amazing.  It get's a 5/5 rating for me!

The only thing about this product is that it really does feel like gel, but not the thick stuff you and I are use to dealing with like Eco Styler Gel, or Jam, this gel is very watery and loose, so it is slippery. I did expect it to feel this way so it does not take away from it as a product, for me. So this is a heads up for those of you who do not know what to the texture to be like.

 I plan on using this stuff alone as well to be the basis of my wash n' go tomorrow, so I will be sharing that as well.

Moving along to today's topic, AVG in my leave in.Which I will call my Creamy Aloe Olive Mix. As you all know, I make my own products/leave in's when I can, to save money. Not to mention it is a great way 'to know' what you are putting in your hair, at least in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, I still suffer, being a product junkie and all, but we also know desires does not always coincide with out pockets!

The Ingredients of my Leave in, is pretty simple. Obviously, AVG, which is the only thing I measured (sort of) I added about 4oz's of that into my spray bottle, then added my conditioner of choice, which happened to be VO5 Moisturizing Milks Passion Fruit Smoothie(one of my favorite cowashing conditioners) I then, diluted the conditioner with some water, and then topped it off with a bit of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

I tend to use spray bottles for leave in's as it makes it super easy to distribute the product evenly on your hair. So of course I had to go out and purchase another for this mix. I got it from Sally Beauty, for $2.89 USD.

It is Sprayco brand, it is a High Output Trigger Spray bottle, I did not pick this one because of that reason, though. I picked this bottle in particular because it felt sturdier than the other bottles they had in store, was reasonably priced (less than 3 bucks), and purple (my absolute favorite color)!

It holds 16oz of fluid, which I took up all of when making my mix.

 Here's how it looks

This mix is great! It leaves my hair feeling soft, and unlike my Super Moisturizing Coconut leave in, I can use it daily, as it is not protein based. ( I use my other mix weekly, or when I feel my hair needs a bit of a 'pick me up').

(Side Note: I have also made a new batch of my Super Moisturizing Coconut leave in, I will be refrigerating it this time around, so I will let you all know what is the difference, and how long it lasts)

Now here is what really sold me on this mix.

Mid week, my hair became really oily, as I had been using my JBCO (mixed with regular Castor Oil) on my scalp everyday, and sometimes night, for a challenge I have been participating in on BHP. So I  cowashed, using VO5 Herbal Escapes Clarifying Kiwi Lime Conditioner, (which does a great job of lightly stripping my hair of product) but this conditioner, can sometimes leave my hair feeling a bit dry, as it is suppose to strip the hair of products.

For that reason, I wanted to do a mini dc session, but did not want to use any of my actual deep conditioners, so I then the thought of using my new leave in as a deep conditioner came to mind.

I saturated my hair with the leave in, and then covered my hair with a plastic bag (as I do when I deep condition) and left it on while I showered. I would say I kept it on for no more than 15 minutes. It was drippy, which I did not like, but man oh man, did my hair come out feeling soft. It was really easy to comb through while rinsing too.

So this mix can be of double use! Which is why it will become one of my staple mixes. Like I said before, my only complaint is that it drips incessantly, which is a bit annoying, but the result definitely makes it bearable!

(I will not be refrigerating this mix, although it contains AVG, because it is diluted and contains oil, and conditioner.)

Yes this is my own creation, but I'm giving it a 4/5. I like it as it is, and will not add anything to make it thicker, as it will be mainly used as a leave in.

Anyway, I just wanted to share my new concoction with you all!


~Naomi

Braid Removal, Regimen & Reviews!

Hey All.

I recently removed my Yarn Braids, that I kept in for 2 months. To prep for taking them out, I cut all my ends off Thursday night, to make it easier to remove the braids. I started on Friday, and only did about 2 hours that night. I started up again on Saturday, and went at it for about 7 hours, with help from DF, and then finished up on Sunday, which took about an hour and a half.

So altogether it took a little over 10 hours to take them out. Here's all of it...

I say I got about an inch of new growth.

Now washing was a breeze! I did not prepoo, as I usually would because I had so much build up!

I used a Shampoo Bar from Lush, that I received as a gift- Stimulating Spice Shampoo.

This bar is suppose to help stimulate your hair follicles to encourage hair growth.  It was my first time using it, so I cannot speak on that part, but it did have a pleasant tingling sensation. It smells like spiced peppermint, and gives off a lot of lather. To use, all I had to do was wet my hair, and 'stroke' my hair with the bar a couple of times. The lather was a pretty pink hue. 

After only one washing my hair felt clean, but to be on the safe side since I had not washed my hair in a month (Yes, I know I am horrible!) I wanted to make sure I washed away all the build up.

You can order from Lush's site, or pick up a Shampoo Bar from one of their stores. This particular shampoo bar will run you $9.95 USD, and also an extra $3.95 USD if you buy the tin for the Shampoo bar.

I really like it so far, it left my hair clean, without feeling stripped. It's a bit pricier than my usual poo's but this is the first one I like. I really love the ingredients too, it is practically all natural!

Ingredients: Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Glycerine, Nettle Infusion, Peppermint Infusion, Nettle Absolute, Rosemary Absolute, Bay Oil, Clove Bud Oil, Cinnamon Leaf Oil, Cinnamal,  Benzyl Benzoate, Limonene, Linalool, D&C Red 30, Cinnamon Sticks

Now Cowashing was the pain! I had to saturate my hair with conditioner, (I used Suave Naturals Tropical Coconut)and work on combing out the knots with my wide tooth comb, before even thinking, I could just comb it through under some water. I say it took a good 10 minutes to get most of the knots and kinks out. Here's what came out....

Pretty much a fist full of hair came out, which I am hoping is just shed hair, we will see next wash.

As of right now, I'm giving this poo 5/5! It is everything that I want in shampoo!


Moving along, after that whole detangling session, I did a protein treatment, which my hair desperately needed! I used Tropical Isle Living Jamaican Black Castor Oil Hair Mayonnaise Protein Conditioner (from the makers of Tropical Isle Living JBCO) which I also received as a gift.

I used my fingertips to distribute the conditioner from root to tip in sections, and then put on a plastic bag, and let it work it's magic for an hour. Going for that hour started to feel like forever once it started dripping down my neck. That is one of the first things I noticed about this product, it has a really thin/watery consistency. Much like if you used regular Mayonnaise from your fridge, which I have to say disappointed me. It looks creamy in the container, and I expected to go on creamy as well.

Well after rinsing, my hair did not feel hard, but it did feel stronger, I'll have to use it a bit more to see if my hair really likes it, especially for the $13.99 that it retails for, not including shipping fees. Not to mention it is only 8 ounces!  As these line of products are hard to find in stores! To be honest, call yourself lucky if you can!

Two distributers that sell Tropical Isle Living Products are Sams247 and Jamaican Oils

I like it, I will warn you that it does smell like JBCO. As it is one of the main ingredients, which of course I like. This too is also natural.


Ingredients: Mayonnaise, Jamaican Black Castor Oil, Vitamin E, Avocado Oil, Mustard Oil, Grape seed Oil, Lavender, Pimento Oil.

I'm giving this a 4/5 so far, simply because I wish it were thicker, and cheaper.

After my protein treatment, I followed with a moisturizing DC. I used Roux Porosity Control Extreme Pak Moisturizing Treatment. It is meant to "deliver intense conditioning to dry, porous or damaged hair".

This was also a gift. You can find it at most Bss, Sally Beauty, and Drug stores (CVS/Rite Aid/Walgreens) and it costs about $1.99 USD a pack.

One pack was juuuust enough to coat my hair, not saturate, but it was good enough, I put a plastic bag on my head and let it sit for an hour and a half, and rinsed.  I deep condition on wet hair, as I like my hair to be clean prior to deep conditioning, also your hair uses less product when it is wet.

It sort of smells like like regular body lotion, like Jergens or something similar. It also had thin consistency. It did leave my hair soft, though weirdly enough, it did not do much to detangle, but like I said before, I did not have enough conditioner to begin with, so should I ever use this deep conditioner again, I will be using two packs.

This conditioner is good for those with relaxed hair to use after doing a touch up, or those who bleach, as this product is acidic, and makes the hair cuticles to lay flat, which causes shine, and hair to appear healthy.

Ingredients: Water, Lauryldimonim Hydroxypropyl Hydrolyzed Collagen, Dihydroxyethyl Tallow Glycinate, Dicetyldimonium Chloride, Petrolatum, Cetyl Alcohol, Cyclomethicone, Stearmidopropyl Dimethylamine, Stearyl Alcohol, Propylene Glycol, Ceteraryl Alcohol, Ceteareth-20, Pantehnol, Lactic Acid, Fragrance, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Imidazoldinyl Urea.

I cannot properly rate this as I did not have an adequate amount of conditioner, but I did like it.

I oiled my scalp with my JBCO mixture, used my Super Moisturizing Coconut Leave In, and then put hair in twist for a twist out, using a product I will review sometime this week!

I did use too much though, so I did not wear my hair out, and just put enough out for 'bangs.

Anyway, that was my wash day!

I will be doing a length check sometime next month, so keep an eye out!

~Naomi

Today is the Day!

(Hey All!)

...I'm taking out my Yarn Braids. I am actually in the process right now. I cannot express to you all how happy I am to see and feel my own hair, dirty and all! I love the lock of locs, but I am no means ready for the commitment it takes to growing and upkeep!

Keeping the braids in was easy the first 6 weeks, but these past two weeks have been tough! Usually by the 6 week point, I give in, and take them out, but I pushed past, and stuck it out for the extra 2 weeks, and I'm quite proud of myself.

Although, I am kind of regretting having to take them out, because I have huge dirt clumps in my hair from build up (from buildup, which is completely normal, but gross) .

I will not be using any products to help take them out, as it is yarn and is already soft and easy on the fingers. (No cuts on fingertips, unlike synthetic hair!) I am hoping to finish late tonight/early morning, but we'll see. I am in no rush.

After removing I'll be washing my hair, doing a moisturizing dc, and protein, (as hair needs both to restore balance) probably for an hour or more each, covered with a plastic back (works just as well as a plastic cap), oiling, moisturize and sealing, and a style of choice ( I have not decided yet).

The products I will be using will be new, so I'll be doing a review on them all at some point.

Anyway, I just had to share my good news! Look out for my next post, I will give you guys an estimated time of how long removal took, and comparison pics, to see if the braids helped me retain growth.


~Naomi